


Oh, You Haven't Heard?

by starspangledbread



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Comedy, Established Relationship, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Humor, M/M, don't trust random strangers kids, eli is a good liar, ezra bridger is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:33:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23024056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starspangledbread/pseuds/starspangledbread
Summary: Eli Vanto runs into the Ghost Crew and they hit it off right away. Ezra starts to admire the older man, who constantly talks about his mysterious husband. He sounds cool, Ezra kinda wants to meet him.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Eli Vanto, Ezra Bridger & Hera Syndulla, Ezra Bridger & Sabine Wren, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 19
Kudos: 173





	Oh, You Haven't Heard?

**Author's Note:**

> This is terrible, I'm sorry. Hopefully it's not too cursed

It was barely eight hundred hours, and Ezra Bridger was already in a foul mood. He had been chewed out by Hera (“you need to stop leaving your helmets at the bottom of the ladders, Ezra” and “Can you tidy up after yourself for once in your life?”), and now they were huddled around the comm, receiving a transmission from fulcrum. And it was not good news. Zeb was perched on the edge of a crate, fending off an indignant chopper. Hera was shooting them annoyed glances, trying to focus on the garbled words. 

_ … Grand Admiral Thrawn is proving to be a huge hindrance to all of my actions. It seems like he stops me at every turn, perhaps unknowingly. I apologize for the lack of communication, I am trying not to blow my cover.  _

Kanan spoke up, pausing the recording. He turned his masked face to Ezra.

“This guy has been destroying rebel cells left and right. We really don’t know much about him, aside from the fact that nobody survives a confrontation with him. Unfortunately, we will likely run into him at some point. Now, listen to the rest of this.”

He fell silent, and the recording continued.   


_ Be careful. I have yet to figure out any weaknesses that this guy has. Fulcrum out. _

The symbol blinked out, and the room was silent. Chopper clanked nervously, and Sabine patted him awkwardly. Ezra spoke up.

“He can’t be  _ that  _ good. Can he?”

Kanan shrugged, standing up and stretching.

“No idea. But I would prefer to not find out. But we have a supply run on Ruusan’s outpost. Go to your stations, we should be there in a few hours.”

Ezra yawned, dragging himself back to his quarters. There was no kriffing way he was going to waste the chance to take a nap before they arrived. 

He awoke several hours later to Sabine socking him on the shoulder. 

“Get up, loser. Hera, me, and you are going to get the power converters. Right now,”

She added when Ezra groaned audibly. Shopping missions had to be his least favorite thing. Like, ever. Even if it was with Sabine, and their space mom. 

“I’m coming, cool your jets. You got the credits?”

Sabine rolled her eyes, as if to say,  _ of course, dumbass.  _ Hey, she wasn’t wrong. She left the room, and Ezra sat up, slid on his boots, and strapped his lightsaber to the inside of his vest. He used to keep it in his pants, but once he thought about it, that was  _ really _ not a smart plan. So, vest it was. He jogged out to meet Hera and Sabine at the ramp, and they descended into the sunlight of the port city of Rhag. The noise hit them, and Ezra could hear snatches of conversation as they made their way through the crowded streets. 

“Let’s go get this part, and maybe some lunch. Are you guys up to it?”

Hera shouted, trying to be heard over the live music playing at a booth selling some kind of glittering powder. Ezra was very tempted to get some. Sabine saw his look, and laughed. 

“Ezra, you know that’s meth, right?”

He looked around, as if searching for her voice.

“Of course, I’m not uncivilized.”

He couldn’t see her face, but it was easy to tell that Hera was rolling her eyes at them. They approached the parts shop, and Hera swiftly found their converters, and began haggling with the merchant. Ezra was no good at that, so he hung back, examining a rack of droid arms. Maybe he should give chopper a bayonet. That might be fun. Suddenly, he saw a flash of white from the window. At least a dozen stormtroopers were making their way down the street, pushing people aside. Behind them were two officers, looking through the crowd as they went. Troopers grabbed a few people, and seemed to be arresting them. Oh, no. Not on this Jedi’s watch. Making sure Sabine and Hera didn’t notice him, he put down the arm and dodged out of the shop. 

“What happened?”

He asked a nautolan woman behind a cart. She shrugged, rearranging her products.

“Happens all the time. The empire suspects rebel activity in the area, so they’ve started interrogating people. Are you new around here?”

“Yeah, just stopping at the post.”

She gave him a suspicious glance. 

“Well, I wouldn’t stick around. It’s not the same as it used to be.”

Ezra thanked her, and jogged off to catch up to the troopers. He found them, and ran around to the officers.

“Hey! Just what do you fine officers think you’re doing? These people are innocent!”

The older of the officers turned and glared at him.

“These people,”

She said snidely, with a perfect core accent,

“Are rebels. We have proof of their activities in the area. Why do you care, boy?”

He shrugged.

“I just don’t think innocent people should be arrested. That’s all. Now, please leave?”

The officer rolled her eyes at him, and gestured to the stormtroopers. Two of them approached him, and tried to shove him away, but Ezra pushed back, still trying to shout to the officers. The younger one pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Just arrest him with the others. He’s a pain.”

Ezra tried to dodge the troopers, but had cuffs snapped in place around his wrists before he could get away. He was shuffled into a line of all non human species. Hmm, that seemed suspicious. He kept his head down, and they were herded into a squat grey building outside of the city walls. Fantastic, prison again. Whatever, maybe he could find out more about the alleged rebels in the sector. They hadn’t remove his comm or weapon, oddly enough. Perhaps they didn’t care that much, given how out of the way the whole operation was. He was shuffled into a building with a bored looking woman sitting at a desk. She glared up at the officers.

“Really? Another batch? You can hold them, but they’re going to have to share holding cells. You know that, right?”

The older officer rolled her eyes.

“We will make it work. Your area is severely lacking in proper authority. We are doing what you should have done cycles ago.”

The woman visibly brushed her off. 

“Yeah, yeah. We get that you need to flaunt your authority or whatever. Just do your thing and scram.”

Ezra held in a snigger. He liked this woman. She seemed like she wouldn’t mind a rebel break in. Noted. Ezra was shoved to the side hallway with half of the others. They eyed him suspiciously, given how he was visibly trying not to laugh. He supposed that getting arrested might be a more serious issue for other people. He tried to keep a straight face. Cool it, Bridger. 

This is not ideal, Hera will be pissed. Ezra was roughly maneuvered into a medium sized holding cell. The door slammed shut, and he huffed and turned around to sit and wait. But he wasn’t alone. A man with brown skin, dark hair, and a bored expression was already sitting there. 

“Damn, I thought they were finally gonna let me out. Guess it’s not my lucky day.”

The stranger had a thick wild space accent, and his mouth quirked into a small smile. Great, Ezra thought. 

“Nope, it’s really not my day either. What are you in for?”

The man grimaced. 

“Oh, you know. Impersonating an imperial officer.”

He drew air quotes around the words.

“I was just trying to meet with my cousin, and told them I had family in the Navy. They’ll arrest you for anything these days, I guess.”

Ezra frowned. He could sense that the man wasn’t being entirely honest. Oh well, that wasn’t his business. 

“Yeah, seems so. I was just stopping for parts and I confronted an officer who was arresting people, and here I am. What’s your name?”

“Eli,”

The man said. No lie there. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m-”

“Ezra Bridger.”

Ezra took a step back.

“Uh, no,”

He scoffed. Eli looked amused.

“Oh please. Are you here alone? Or is your group planning something else here that I wasn’t aware of?”

He had dropped his voice to a whisper. Ezra’s eyes widened. So, his new cell mate was likely a rebel, or at least a sympathizer. That would be convenient. Ezra sat next to him on the bench. He also lowered his voice.

“We only stopped for parts on a delivery run, and then I got arrested. I think the rest of my crew will try to break me out. Is anyone coming for you?”

Ezra asked softly. Eli shrugged.

“Eh, I don’t know. I was supposed to be here for a week, and I only got here two days ago. So it might be a while before anyone thinks to look. I’ll be fine, though.”

Ezra patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. Hera probably wouldn’t mind if he brought an extra friend with him. How bad could this guy be? 

“You can come with me, if you want.”

Eli pulled away, frowning at him.

“Are you sure? That might not be a good idea, you don’t even know me!”

Ezra shrugged.

“I know enough about you, and you seem like a decent guy. You’re from wild space, got in trouble with the empire, are at least somewhat knowledgeable about our cause, and have been super polite to me so far. I think I got enough.”

Eli chuckled.

“You sure are confident, aren’t ya? If you really don’t think it’s a bad idea, I would love to come with you.”

“Deal,”

Ezra said, and they shook hands. Eli had a confident grip, and an easygoing smile. It was hard to imagine that he could be any sort of threat. Ezra made up his mind, and pulled out his comm. Eli raised an eyebrow.

“They really didn’t remove that?”

Ezra laughed loudly.

“Nope. They’re even more incompetent out here than ever.”

Eli snorted. 

“Of course. I’m not sure what I expected. Well, I’m really sorry for messing up your plans, I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You won’t be! They’ll love you. Here, I’ll call them now.”

Ezra pressed a button on his comm, and a garbled voice came through.

_ Ezra, where are you? I swear- _

“Kanan! I sort of, might have gotten arrested, but they didn’t take my comms. And I made a friend.”

There was a pause. 

_ Is that Ezra? _

Sabine asked, her voice muffled.

“Hey, Sabine. Sorry I got into a bit of trouble again.”

He could hear Kanan sigh.

_ Ok, we have your coordinates. Be there soon. _

“Thanks, guys! Oh, and nearly everyone here is wrongfully arrested, so we might as well just go all the way with this one.”

There was another pause. 

_ Be there in 10. Kanan out.  _

Ezra grinned, stowing the comm away again. Eli was looking at him intently. 

“What?”

He asked, shivering under Eli’s oddly intense stare. The other man shrugged. 

“Nothin’. I was just wondering, what is it that makes y’all stick together as tight as ya do?”

He mused. Ezra shivered. Why did Eli seem like he knew something?

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He demanded. Eli shrugged.

“I mean, you guys obviously care about each other, I could tell by your bickering and tone. I’m good at reading people. And you’re wearin’ some art that looks like it was done for you, specifically. Probably by Sabine Wren, right?”

Ezra was taken aback. How did he come to that conclusion so quickly? Maybe he was smarter than Ezra thought initially. 

“Yeah, how did you know?”

Eli grinned.

“Her art is everywhere! My nephew is actually a huge fan, I keep telling him to be careful about who he tells that to, so he rants to me instead. Sorry if that came off as a little creepy, I promise I ain’t trying to be weird.”

Ezra felt a wave of relief, although the doubt still lingered. That was awesome, actually. Sabine’s art WAS amazing, and it deserved more recognition, even outside of their rebel friends. 

“Oh! No, that’s so cool, I’ll totally have her draw something for your nephew! What’s his name?”

Eli’s face lit up, and Ezra felt his doubt vanish. He seemed genuine, and it was adorable that he was trying to get something for his nephew.

“It’s Henry. He just turned eleven this cycle! He wants to be an artist when he grows up, and I want to encourage him as much as possible. My brother in law wants him to be a pilot, but hey, it’s really up to the kid, right?”

Eli winked at Ezra, who laughed.

“Totally! Finally, someone who gets it. Did we just become best friends?”

Eli chuckled. 

“I mean, sure. We still don’t know much about each other, but you seem like a cool kid.”

Ezra beamed at him, and Eli smiled awkwardly. 

“So, Eli. As a friend, do you have any juicy secrets about, say, perhaps, the Empire, that will get me nice and moist?” 

Eli made a face.

“Please never speak those words to me again. But, I might. In exchange for, say, a ride to Illoh?”

Ezra stuck out his hand.

“That’s a deal, sister.”

Eli snorted.

“You are probably the most disgusting child I’ve ever met. It’s a deal.”

“Wow, I literally love you. You gotta meet my team. Speaking of which-“

Thudding noises could be heard from the opposite side of the door, and it slid open, revealing a masked Sabine Wren and Kanan Jarrus. Eli looked delighted.

“Hey, Ezra. This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into this time, huh. And who’s this?”

She gestured to Eli with a blaster. 

“His name’s Eli. He’s a friend.”

Eli gave a small wave. Sabine eyed him suspiciously. Kanan appeared to be surveying him. 

“Can we bring him with us?”

“I don’t know, Ezra. Doesn’t it seem convenient that he knows stuff about us and was in the same cell as you?”

“Eh, not really. In these areas, there’s a lot of rebel sympathizers.”

Ezra said. They looked at Eli expectantly. 

“Look, I don’t want to cause you any trouble. Ezra suggested it, but if you guys don’t want to take in a stranger, I totally get it. If you leave me, no hard feelings.”

Ezra looked imploringly at Sabine.

“He says he has information about the empire.”

Sabine looked skeptical.

“Yeah? What kind of information? It better be good, if we’re going to take you with us.”

Eli paused, as if debating what, or how much, to tell them. Then, he took a step closer. The other two leaned in.

“Look, I, uh, understand you had a run in with Grand Admiral Thrawn?”

That was not what they were expecting to hear. 

“Yeah, and to be honest, I never want to run into him again.”

Ezra said, shuddering. 

“Well, I happen to know a bit about his military tactics and strategies. I’d be willin’ to share, if you’re interested.”

They exchanged quick looks.

“You’re in. It better be some damn good information, though. I don’t want any trouble.”

Sabine said. 

“I’ll do my best.”

The rebels led the way out of the prison, past smoking blaster burns in the walls, and unconscious stormtroopers. Eli followed them silently, looking down corridors and around corners. How thoughtful of him, Ezra pondered. They exited the building to find the Ghost waiting in the middle of the road. They jogged up the ramp, and it closed behind them. As soon as they were in, they took off. Eli looked around, and followed Ezra as he led the way to the cockpit. 

“I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team.”

Eli nodded as the door slid open, revealing the rest of the crew. They all turned to face him expectantly.

“Uh, Hi. I’m Eli. I met Ezra in prison,”

He began. Zeb cut him off, standing up and towering over him. Eli didn’t flinch. He continued. 

“Nice to meet you.”

He stuck out a hand. Visibly surprised, Zeb shook it. 

“I can see why you like this guy. Welcome to the Ghost, Eli.”

“Thanks. Look, I appreciate this. You didn’t have to go to the trouble,”

Hera cut him off, still looking slightly suspicious. 

“You said you had information on the Grand Admiral. Come on, let’s talk.”

“Sure, lead the way.”

The crew, plus one, filed into the main cabin. Eli sat across from Hera and Kanan, while Ezra stood behind them. Sabine made to leave, but Eli called out to her first.

“Sabine Wren, right?”

She turned around, and took off her helmet, glaring at him.

“Depends. Why do you know who I am?”

Eli met her glare with an even look, then smiled.

“I just wanted to say that my nephew loves your art. Thought I’d pass it along.”

“Oh!”

Her expression softened. 

“Well, thank you. I’m glad to hear that it’s having such an impact.”

“Hey, no problem. You’re really talented!”

Hera shot him a venomous look, but her eyes were smiling. 

“Don’t be gross.”

Eli looked mortified. Sabine chuckled, and retreated to the cockpit. He shook his head vigorously.

“Oh no no no, you misunderstand me. I’m uh, married. And not a creep, jeez.”

“Oh. Sorry,”

Hera laughed, glancing at his hands. Sure enough, there was a ring of dark metal on his finger. 

“My husband and I like art quite a bit. Sorry it came off like that, I promise I’m just a fan.”

He laughed, settling into the seat across from the crew. 

“So, what do you want to know?”

Kanan spoke up. 

“What do you know about the Grand Admiral? And how did you get the information?”

Ezra added on.

“And we’ll know if you’re lying, by the way.”

If that disturbed Eli, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he sighed and leaned forward.

“I was an Imperial Officer up until about two years ago now. I left because I saw first hand what the Empire is capable of, and defecting isn’t uncommon.”

Kanan nodded at him.

“True. That’s not something we’ll judge you for. So you worked under Thrawn?”

Eli nodded.

“A little. He’s well known enough at this point, but by name only. I can give you the details of some of the building operations he’s in charge of. And I can tell you a little bit about how he operates.”

Ezra cut in.

“Should we be writing this down, or something?”

“You don’t have to. I only know the basics, I left before I got caught for having some of this information.”

He took a deep breath. 

“The Admiral analyzes art and culture to get inside the head of his enemies. He’s patient, and always seems to pull the solution from nothing. For example, Sabine. I just like her art, but this man could find out her strategies as a leader, where she’s from, her morals, pretty much everything.”

The three across from him were staring. Then-

“So, art is how he knows everything? Of course it’s something we can’t do anything about.”

Eli shrugged.

“Sorry. If I had thought of a solution, I’d tell you. But that’s the basics, I’m afraid.”

Hera looked thoughtful.

“Anything else?”

“I assume he’s looking for you guys, specifically. I’d be careful, he’s not someone I’d want to cross in a fight.”

Kanan finally spoke up.

“What do you want, in return?”

“Honestly, I just want to go home. Being arrested was super annoying, and I want to see my husband. Can I call him? If you guys don’t mind.”

Hera’s expression softened. 

“We need to get back to our base as soon as possible, but we have long range equipment there. Sorry we can’t give you a ride right now.”

Eli shrugged again.

“Hey, it’s okay. I appreciate the offer anyway. I can just let him know what happened.”

“Great. We should be there soon, I’m going to check on the others. You can stay here with Ezra.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as the two left, the teen rounded on Eli.

“So, you’re married. Do you have any advice for a poor, pining teenager?”

Eli leaned away from him slightly.

“Uh, no. When I was your age, I was clueless, I’m afraid. Give it a few years, kid.” 

He chuckled. 

“But don’t be afraid to say how you feel. You may think it’s unrequited, only to find out you both wasted years to pining and unnecessary stress.”

“Huh. Maybe I’ll try that. If I ever feel brave enough, that is.”

Eli gave him a small smile.

“Better sooner than later, kid.”

The sat in companionable silence after that, Ezra flicking through a data pad, and Eli leaning his head back on the seat with his arms crossed. Only a few minutes passed with only the hum of the engines in the background. Hera stuck her head down the hall shortly after.

“We’re landing now, heads up.”

Eli sat up, running a hand through his brown hair. The shuttle rattled slightly as it landed at the space port, before rumbling to a stop. Ezra stood up, Eli following closely behind him. Hera and Sabine appeared, and led the way down the ramp.

“So, this is Illoh. One of our bases. We have some long range equipment over there, Ezra can show you.”

“Thank you all, I really appreciate it.”

Hera smiled.

“No problem. Try and find a ride, yeah?”

Ezra gestured for Eli to follow him, and they made their way through the bustling spaceport to a squat grey building. Ezra pressed a button on the door.

“Specter 6, and guest.”

There was a crackle of static, then the door slid open. The inside of the base was just as lively as the port outside. Droids and people scurried around, all looking busy. Eli had a curious expression on his face. 

“Through here. I’ll wait by the door.”

Eli grinned at him. 

“Thanks kid, I appreciate it.”

The older man made his way over to a comm station in the corner, inserted the earpiece, and punched in a few numbers. This one was voice only, and Ezra couldn’t hear whoever was on the other end. He made sure to pay attention to Eli’s words, though. Leaning against the doorframe, Ezra put his lurking skills to use. Eli began to speak.

“Hey, it’s me”

There was a pause.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Just a little sidetracked is all. It’s good to hear from you.”

He laughed.

“Yeah, I know. Hopefully I can get back before the art show, I know you were looking forward to it. I hear there’s that Naboo restaurant opening near the gallery, we should go.”

Another pause. Ezra had thought this would be more exciting, somehow. 

“Don’t worry, babe. No rush, there’s plenty to do here. But I’ll see you soon. Yeah. Love ya.”

Eli stopped the call, and spotted Ezra in his lurking by the door. He frowned slightly, walking over.

“Listening in, were you?”

Ezra looked abashed. 

“Just a little. Your husband seems nice.”

Eli’s face softened. 

“Yeah, he’s the best. He even offered to come get me, imagine that? So nice of him.”

Ezra grinned as they began to walk back towards the exit.

“Well, sorry again for dragging you out here. I’m glad you got a ride.”

Eli didn’t say anything, busying himself with looking around the outpost. He had an odd expression on his face, but it was gone as soon as Ezra noticed. 

“Right, well, I’ll let you walk around. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Sure, thanks, kid.”

Eli said, walking over to a booth to peer at the colorful cloth on display. Ezra made his way back to the main base, quickly spotting Hera. She turned to look at him as he approached. 

“Ezra, we have a problem.”

She gestured to the display over the command table, showing their system.

“We have three Star Destroyers that just emerged from hyperspace. We haven’t gotten a good look at them, but we think one is the Chimaera.”

“Thrawn.”

Ezra growled.

“How did he find us this time?”

Hera looked harried, tapping out commands on her data pad. 

“I don’t know. There was no warning, the information just came through. They should be here in less than ten minutes.”

“Shit.”

“You can say that again.”

Zeb had entered the room, followed by a frantic Chopper. 

“The first Imperial shuttle has just landed. We’ve got people to hold them off, but they got us by surprise.”

Hera grabbed her blaster, and the others followed suit. Ezra followed the group out of the door, and was met with chaos in the market. Stormtroopers had flooded the place, and as Ezra went to join the fray, something heavy hit the back of his head, and the world went black. 

When he regained consciousness, it was to much more unfortunate circumstances. His hands were cuffed behind his back, he was unarmed, and he was in an imperial holding cell with the rest of his crew lined up in chairs next to him. He spotted Eli at the end of the line, and felt a stab of guilt. Somehow, the man had been dragged into the drama yet again. 

The door slid open, revealing an Imperial Officer and two Stormtroopers. He had a barely contained glee in his eye.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to capture you all specifically? It is truly my pleasure to have you here. The Grand Admiral will arrive shortly, and we will be taking you back to Coruscant. Make yourselves comfortable.”

He laughed, and left through the same door. The troopers stayed outside, backs turned to the door.

Hera sighed.

“I’m sorry. I have no idea how they even-”

She was cut off as another figure entered the room.

The Admiral was taller in person, and he exuded a commanding presence that made Hera bistle automatically. 

“Grand Admiral Thrawn.”

Hera stared daggers at him. The alien’s expression didn’t change as he observed the line of rebels in front of him. He paused when his gaze fell on Eli. The human looked up at the Admiral, with a surprising lack of fear. Thrawn raised an eyebrow. 

“Ok, it’s kind of funny.”

Eli said out loud. Ezra started, staring at the man. He was smirking, holding the red stare of the Admiral. 

“I disagree. One might argue that this was caused by a series of coincidences, nothing more.”

Eli scoffed at the Admiral’s words. Ezra felt like he was watching a tennis match, and he could feel the confusion radiating off of his friends. 

“Please. We both knew this was going to happen. You know, if you wanted me in handcuffs, you could’ve just asked.”

Ezra’s mouth dropped open as Eli winked, yes, winked, at the Admiral. Hera made a very odd noise, staring in horror at the human. Ezra gaped.

But the Admiral’s lips twitched up into what might’ve been a smile. Ezra was close to hyperventilating, his world falling apart. 

“Really, Eli? Have you no manners in front of your guests?”

Ezra saw stars. Was this what an out of body experience felt like? His mind was adrift in the void. 

“What? No, it’s cool, I already told them I was married.”

Ezra was losing his mind. He had to be going crazy. 

“Did you mention to whom?”

Eli grinned, standing up and walking over to the Admiral, who undid his handcuffs. 

“Nah, must’ve slipped my mind. Hey, let me know when you’re done and we can grab some dinner, yeah?”

  
  



End file.
